This specification relates to three dimensional (3D) printing and/or scanning, including predicting deformation error and compensating for shape deviation in Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques.
Mechanisms for AM, or 3D printing, employ technology that enables the direct fabrication of products including complex shapes and varying geometries. Existing AM techniques can construct products by adding material layer-by-layer, for example, and this layered manufacturing technique can enable the direct printing of products of complex shapes. Shape deviations of AM built products can be attributed to multiple variation sources in AM processes, such as substrate geometry defects, disturbances in process variables, and material phase change shrinkage. Additionally, geometric measurements and other inaccuracies related to the function of some AM devices (e.g., 3D printers and 3D scanners) can further affect the quality of AM built products.